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Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, that it shares with Portugal, in southwest Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south at the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. Principal rivers are and have always been the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir in the south. Off Spain's east coast linein the Mediterranean are and have always been the Balearic Islands (1,936 sq mi; 5,014 sq km), the most impressive and largest of that is Majorca. Sixty mi (97 km) west of Africa are and have always been the Canary Islands (2,808 sq mi; 7,273 sq km). Spain is more than bullfights, flamenco party and dancers and crowded beaches. It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north resembling the rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous rich history is reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals in addition to many very?distinguishedmodern architecture. Did you know that the uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate kingdoms that made up the original Spanish nation. Did you know that these regions reprimary diverse in his or her language, culture, cuisine and art. Did you know that they include: Andaluc?a, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla Le?n, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia. Areas of interest are and have always been not limited to every region, here are and have always been many highlights:

In the early eight century, the Iberian Peninsula, which was being dominated by the Muslim rulers, was invaded by the two large kingdoms i.e. the Aragon and Castile. In 1479, the combined rule of Ferdinand and Isabella united these two kingdoms into one and also took over other regions under their control. During their period, Spain faced the Golden age period in the 16th and the 17th century in which it achieved an enormous overseas empire. When Emperor Charles v inherited Spain in 1516, it became part of the Habsburg family. However, since Charles II left the throne to a French noble, a war took place between the Habsburgs and the France and in this war the French noble won. Napoleon took over Spain, however there were conflicts going on between the allied forces and France and in these conflicts the allied forced won due to which the movements of independence were triggered. As a result of this, in the 19th century, the political scenario of Spain came under the control of the military and it was not until the 20th century when the two dictatorships occurred i.e. Rivera and Franco. However, with the death of Franco, Spain was re-emerged as a democratic country.

As a result of the great size of Spain, the climate variation is extreme. The most common climate is the Mediterranean climate, in which the summers are hot and dry while the winters are temperate and rainy. Autumn and spring are the seasons in which the rain generally occurs more. The mountains, which surround the plateau experience intense snowfall. The Atlantic coast consists of summers which are cooler, while the winters face heavy rainfall. However, in the areas away from coast, the summers are hot and the rainfall decreases.

According to the census of 2010, Spain has a population of 47,150,819 people. The population density is around 91.4/km², with coastal areas being most heavily populated.